I am not a UK citizen. Can I obtain the information in this Scheme?
Yes. You can have access to any of the publications on the list
How do I get hold of published information in hardcopy?
Postal or telephone requests for printed versions of publications, stating the name(s) of the publication(s) you want, should be addressed to:
Freedom of Information Officer
Freedom of Information Unit
British Council
10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN
Tel +44 (0)20 7389 4172
Alternatively, you can make a personal visit to the British Council and make use of public access terminals. You will need to register to use this facility.
Can I get information held by the British Council about myself or other individuals?
Under the Data Protection Act you are entitled only to personal information that the British Council holds about you. You are not entitled to personal information about anyone else. This booklet contains our Privacy Policy.
How did the British Council decide what information to publish?
Our approach has been to identify the information which explains how the British Council works. Our Publication Scheme has been approved by the Information Commissioner. But we will constantly review our performance and make improvements wherever possible.
Does the Freedom of Information Act apply retrospectively?
Our Publication Scheme starts with documents published in 2002 although some documents, such as our Charter, are much older. In future years, information we publish will not be removed from the list, so our back-catalogue will grow over time.
How do I get access to information that was created before the Publication Scheme started?
Send a written enquiry (by post or by email) to the Freedom of Information Officer, who will respond as soon as possible. Each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please bear in mind that some older information will have been destroyed according to British Council retention guidelines.
The information I want is not in the Publication Scheme. Why?
We can only publish in the Scheme a small proportion of the documents we produce. The information you want may not be easily published, may be exempt (see exemptions) or may have been excluded because we considered it was not of sufficient general interest.
There is a charge for the publication I want: where do I send money?
This will be clearly stated in the Publication Scheme against the item in question. Unless otherwise stated, do not send money to the British Council.
How do I request additional information from the British Council about Freedom of Information?
Enquiries should be addressed initially to the British Council Freedom of Information Officer:
Freedom of Information Unit
British Council
10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN
E-mail foi@britishcouncil.org
If you are unhappy with our Freedom of Information policy, please inform the Freedom of Information Officer. We will acknowledge this immediately and review our decision and inform you of our conclusions as soon as possible. If you are still not satisfied you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Where can I find out more about UK Freedom of Information legislation and the rights that it gives me?
In the first instance, we recommend that you contact the Information Commissioner (address given opposite). Alternatively, the Campaign for Freedom of Information and the Lord Chancellors Department are excellent sources of information:
I want to know more about Freedom of Information globally. Where should I look?
There are many organisations and resources who provide information about this issue. The Campaign for Freedom of Information is one. For more links and related resources, use the British Council Human Rights Portal: www.britishcouncil.org/governance
